Terms of Use

1. About HazardMap

HazardMap is a community-powered hazard reporting and mapping platform (“we”, “us”, “our”). These Terms of Use govern your access to and use of the HazardMap website and application (the “Service”).

By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use HazardMap. If you are under 18, you confirm that a parent or guardian has consented to your use of the Service.

3. Your account

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must provide accurate and current information when creating your account.

You must not share your account, transfer it to another person, or use another person’s account without their permission.

4. User-generated content

When you report a hazard, post a comment, or otherwise submit content (“User Content”), you grant HazardMap a worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, store, display, and distribute that content as part of the Service.

You are solely responsible for the accuracy of your submissions. You must not post content that is:

• Deliberately false or misleading
• Defamatory, offensive, or harassing
• In breach of any applicable law
• Spam or unsolicited promotional material

5. Hazard data disclaimer

Hazard reports on this platform are contributed by members of the public and are not verified by emergency services, local authorities, or HazardMap. Do not rely solely on this platform when making safety decisions.

In an emergency, call 111 (New Zealand emergency services). For civil defence information, visit civildefence.govt.nz. Road closure information is available from Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

6. Organisations

Organisations on HazardMap are private groups of users. The Super Admin of each organisation is responsible for its members, their conduct, and any content posted on behalf of the organisation.

We reserve the right to suspend or remove organisations that violate these terms.

7. Acceptable use

You must not:

• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Service
• Scrape, harvest, or systematically extract data without our written consent
• Use the Service to distribute malware or engage in phishing
• Interfere with or degrade the performance of the Service
• Impersonate another person or organisation

8. Intellectual property

The HazardMap name, logo, software, and design are our property. External data layers (GeoNet, GWRC, Waka Kotahi) are provided by their respective owners and are subject to their own terms and licences.

9. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by New Zealand law, we are not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential loss arising from your use of the Service or reliance on any hazard report.

Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for any liability that cannot be excluded under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or the Fair Trading Act 1986.

10. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account if you breach these terms. You may request deletion of your account at any time by contacting us.

11. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. We will notify registered users of material changes by email or in-app notice. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

12. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New Zealand.

13. Contact

Questions about these terms? Email us at legal@hazardmap.nz.